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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the government pays for the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far better health care and around the clock supervision than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

“It’s impossible in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reflect a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|